Details

• Italy
• BaWiSo-23
• Undergraduate
• SoSe 2026
• Time spent at the partner university: 4 months

1. Preparation

When preparing for the interview, I would recommend going further then just thinking about why you would like to go to Bocconi, but rather focus on the Italian culture, and what kind of cultural experiences and learnings you expect out of your exchange. Start early enough with looking for an accommodation. I found it pretty hard to find something, as living on campus/student housing was no option for me. Join the Bocconi DACH chat on Whatsapp, in which rooms and appartments are posted very frequently. I flew to Milan, as flying to Milan from Vienna or other is pretty easy and cheap as it has three airports that are in reach. If you go by aircraft, I would recommend to fly to Linate, as it is the closest to the city center.

2. Accommodation

As I said, you can't start early enough with looking for an apartment. There are various types to look for a flat (Bocconi DACH chat, Idealista, Bocconi Facebook Group) and you should be active on these to don't miss a chance. If you want to live on campus or in other student housing facilities, there are fixed deadlines to apply (you will receive all the info from Bocconi). I lived in a shared apartment with two other people in Navigli, close to Porta Genova. I loved the area as it was directly at the Darsena canal and had some great bars and restaurants around. Also, in terms of proximity to the Uni it was very convenient, as the bike ride was ca. 7min or 20min footwalk. Navigli can be unsafe at night, but I never experienced anything bad. There are lots of other cool areas to live in like Porta Romana, Porta Venezia or Brera. Always check the distance to Bocconi, as the metro or tram connection can sometimes be quite bad.

3. Academic life at host university

If I am being honest, I have to say that I was a little disappointed with the academic culture and facilities at Bocconi. With its great reputation as a top european business school, I was simply expecting more from Bocconi academically, yet it is pretty much similar to any other business school. Looking at the campus facilities, I would especially point out that the organization around the library and other learning spaces is very poor. There is simply not enough space for all the students and it can get very stressy when reserving yourself a spot. I have decided to learn in other libraries such as the Braidense library in Brera, which is just much more chill. Academic culture is quite competitive among the full-time bocconi students, professors are more distant/hierarchal in comparison to WU, although some of them have great practical experience, which can be very valuable. I found the teaching style to be very frontal and monotone, except from the Business Strategy course (which I can really recommend), which was a case-based teaching style course, what i really enjoyed. Especially in comparison to my specialization courses at WU, I have to say that I found the teaching style and course design more old school and more focused on rote learning than on practical application.

5. Every day life in the host country

I really enjoyed living in Milan. It is a great and beautiful city, which is easily walkable and has great food/drink and travel opportunities. Public transport is well organized and not too expensive. I never had any security issues or bad experiences. I love the aperitivo culture in milan as it brings people together and helps especially exchange students to get to know new people. I have visited football games at San Siro (a must while it is still there), concerts and olympic events. I also recommend visiting cities like Florence, Turin and Rome and of course the lakes around. The only tiny negative thing i have to point out is that gyms are so stupidly expensive. You get a students discount at the Virgin Active gym on Campus, but its still 100€ per month with all fees included. But still the less premium gyms are very expensive. I couldn't find a gym in the center below 80€.

6. Testimonial

I can't state enough how important and enriching this international experience was for me. I learned so much about the Italian culture and way of living, started to learn the language and met great people. I would always choose Milan again and will definitely come back.